Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more

Download & Play

Questions

Newspaper Page Text

REPORT U. S. VESSELS SUNK
Uncle Sam's latest
possessions, the Vir
gin islands; what are
they like? See page 2
for the answer.
SEND ARMY TO EUROPE;
TO DO LESS UNTHINKABLE
BY CHARLES EDWARD RUSSELL
WASHINGTON, D. C, April 7.—But there is one thing, brethren, we ought
to be nighty careful about, noAv that we have this job on our hands and see the
size of it.
We ougftt to look for the enemy in disguise and look out just as much for the
niollusk that talks like a man. It is plain now that we are up against both.
Working together or singly they are trying to put over a scheme that would
take all the punch out of our entry in the war and make this nation a bundle of
old clothes on a stick put up in a field in order to scare the little birdies.
A very strong movement is planned against congress to keep us from send
ing any troops abroad and to confine our share in the war to supplying money,
chocolate drops and good wishes.
It is not merely a thing talked about; it is framed up and ready to be tacked
upon the army appropriation bill the minute that is reported, and there about
enough half-witted or half-hearted congressmen to make the thing likely to get
across.
Give our allies money, but no men! That is to say, hire somebody
relse to fight for us! Get substitutes! Do the world's historic stunt in
side stepping! Hire somebody to take the risk we are afraid to take and
perform the duty we are too flabby to perform!
That's the idea, that's what they really mean, the timid ones that are trying
to pull this stuff on us, although they don't acknowledge it. Their plan is to have
the government's policy fixed on sending over money but holding back all troops
until we have trained here an army of at least 1,000,000 men.
It is the limit of blundering if it is on the level, and the limit of a
pro German play, if it isn't sincere. Which is which, you can guess if
you note that all the pro-German agencies are hot for it.
If we waited for an army of a million under such conditions we
should wait until perdition congealed! Who would enlist merely to
pass months or years In a training camp?
The < fi.< i lu'i'c of any Niich boneliead business would
!><• to extinguish ih< fine fooling now burning in this nation,
to do mi n> with any chance for us to bo of actual use In the
war and to fill the world with laughter at our expense.
The effect in Germany would be to show the German fire eaters
they were perfectly right In thinking we had gone soft in body and
dotty In mind. The effect on the war would be to PROLONG it.
The effect on the allies would be profoundly to discourage them.
IVhy should we want to fool with a seven-barreled disaster like that?
The astounding revelation* of the American corre
spondents lutely returned from Germany ought to teach us
our lesson. In Berlin all men believe that long liefore we
hi enlist, train, equip mid send to Kurope a single sol
dier, (.ii i ulll have won the war and he ready then to
heat UK to hits and fill its empty treasury from our hordes
of gold.
A large part of the world shares the notion that we are
no good* for any action.
The policy that would rid them of that notion is also the policy
that would shorten the war, save thousands of lives and unspeakable
misery, Insure our own safety as much as It would save our prestige
and reputtttlon and vindicate our unselfish and high purposes in
entering this war.
It 1b from the drop of the hat —BING! INBTANT ACTION!
We have 39,000 regular troops doing nothing, fully trained,
fully equipped, as hard as nails, the finest soldiers in the world.
Within a week some of them ought to be on their way to the western
battle front.
If it in only a division, if It Is only a brigade, no matter. THE
PRESENCE ON THAT FRONT OP JUST ONE AMERICAN REGI
MENT AND THE SIGHT OP ONE AMERICAN FLAG WOULD BE
WORTH MORE THAN A HUNDRED THOUSAND RECRUITS. It
would fill the allies with indescribable enthusiasm and notify all
dreaming Prussians that what they are fronting la not fatty degen
eration, but efficiency on the job.
As soon as the first detachment sails, get ready the next and
■tart that on Its way. This la the only possible plan by which we
can help end the war and end It right. There is no sacrifice for such
«. cause and at such a time that is worth weighing.
What? Democracy against autocracy I All the world
♦« be democratic or all the world to be autocratic! The
rtViiHUTiK Uw of the world against the autocracies of the
world! And we hang % leg?
NOT MITOH. THlfi 18 THE UNITKB) STATES. WE
aim: ami;iu« ink
MO MOKE KINGS, NO MOHK \\ IKS!
The Tacoma Times
{lo A OOPY^ THE ONLY INDEPENDENT jyEWSPAPER IN TAOOMA. lc A COPY^
lACUMA, WASHINGTON, SATURDAY, APRIL 7,1917, VOL. XIV NO. !M.
MAY WHEAT PRICE
SETS NEW RECORD
(I llllrrt Pr*M I .n.r.l \\ir«-.l
MINNEAPOLIS. April 7.—May
wheat closed at $2.10 7-8, a record
price since the Civil war days and
a jump of 10 1-2 from yesterday's
close.
BITTER IP A CENT
ELGIN, 111., April 7.—Butter
—All sales, 44c; an advance of
one cent over last week.
Sound ideas should be
instilled into the
minds of the children.
A very important one
is the advantage of
money-saving.
pußßtSaumtEßnt
r S Thjmi Cbwrrdu
Report
Raider
Off U.S.
II i.X.-.l l'r-«. lrn.nl WtMj
BOSTON, April 7.—Persistent
rumors along the waterfron this
afternoon declared' the Boston
steam finning trawlers Tide and
Swell have been sunk by a German
raider 100 miles east of Boston.
Although no verification of the
sinking can be obtained, the re
ports were given some credence,
in view of the fact that the trawl
ers were fishing in the field where
the raider was reported as hav
ing been sighted earlier in the day.
The vessels are vulued at $100,
--000 each and carried about 20
men each.
No fishing schooners left port
today.
The raider was described to the
navy yard officials as carrying
two masts, a large amoke Mack
and being of slate color. Her size
was estimated at 10,000 tons.
HTKAXUK CRAFT BKJHTEI>
clnlii-il rii-.i I.euaed Wire.l
WASHINGTON, D. C, April 7.
—The navy department learned
today of a strange craft off Nan
tucket light.
The Nantucket shoals light re
ported that a vessel had passed
there headed westward, In the di
rection of New York.
Secretary Daniels admitted he
la investigating the situation,
though he would not go into de
tails as to what stepß are being
taken.
Reports from Boston stated
that the Charlestown navy yard
has been notified of the presence
of a German raider off the New
England coast.
That Germany may stage some
thing spectacular against America
within the next few days—such as
a repetition of the U-H visit—was
the confident belief of some offi-
clals today.
The navy, however, Is on the
full lookout for just such moves.
HOME GUARDS
STAND READY
First of a number of home
guard companies of federal army
reserves was Inaugurated at South
Tacoma Friday night.
Nearly 60 men of South Taco
ma, including City Commissioner
C. D. Atkins and a group of busi
ness men, joined the company, and
promised to raise the number of
recruits to 100 at once. Lieut.
Shaw of the ooast artillery re
serves addressed the men at Boos
ters' club hall.
The home guard companies, to
be composed of men of all ages,
will be drilled by U. 8. army offi
cers, and will be ready for service
when the socond call for troops
Is Issued. Other companies will
be organized in various parts of
the city.
RICH MEH, TOO,
ARE PATRIOTIC
Fine, Mr. Scripps! This paper, a part of your
great organization, has been advocating this idea
right along. The big incomes should carry the
financial burden of this war. Dollars should be
consoripted. We of The Times are glad and feel
honored that you should be the first man of great
wealth thus to volunteer your income.
By Gilson Gardner
WASHINGTON, D. C, April 7.
—"Income conscription" has
Jumped to the front as one of the
Issues of the moment. Congress
will Include the subject In the
"war program" debate.
For war purposes, and during
this war period, let the govern
ment take all private incoino
above $100,000 a year; that is the
gist of the proposal.
Below that let a sliding scale
of tax be provided which will run
down to two and a half.per cent
on incomes of $r>,ooo.
Finally, provide that profit on
war supplies be restricted to three
and a half per cent net.
This would make It possible al
most to wage a "pay as you en
ter" war. No crushing bonded
indebtedness would be left to pos
terity.
This plan to conscript wealth
comes —strange as it may seem —
from conservative and wealth
owning sources. It is seriously
advocated in such a publication as
Financial America and finds sup
port in the Chamber of Commerce
of the United States which has
gathered a special committee of 14
in Washington to take up the mat
ter of "economic patriotism."
It would seem that the rich
man's pride and patriot ism have
both been touched. He wishes to
show that, he Is neither soft nor
selfish, and that he is just as
Brother vs. Brother;
Diva Broken-Hearted
(Untied l-rvmm Leased Wire.)
CHICAGO, April 7. — In her
sumptuously-furnished apartment
here today Mine. Ernestine Schu
mann-Heink Ib prostrated—one of
the many broken-hearted victims
of the war tragedy.
Mingled with the conflicting
emotions of her love for the fath
erland and her adopted country,
America, Is the vision of her four
sons at war. Three of them will
fight for the United States; the
fourth Is In the German navy.
In front of her Schumann-Heink
had four pictures. One, the fa
vorite, was her bon, George Wash
ington Schumann, 18, a student
at Culver Military Academy; the
second was Henry Schumann, a
regular In the United State* navy;
the third, Walter Schumann, a
member of the New Jersey nation
al guard, and the fourth, August
.Schumann, with the imperial Ger
man navy.
And to accentuate the contrast,
WLMONAira EDITOR
I IMiKS INCOME SI ASM
(By lulled PNM.)
BAN DIBQO, April 7.— E.
W. Scrlppn. millionaire news
j paper publisher, today wired
i President Wilson as follows:
"I strongly urge that we i
[ bhould pay as wp go in the
I til with income and inherit
ance taxes. All income* of
I over $100,000 a year should
[ be conscripted.
"The minimum cash pay ;
) of soldiers and sailors should
I be not less than $:< a day dur
'■ liik the war.
"Such legislation would
! cost me much more than half
I my present income."
0, .. ff
ready to lay down his riches as
the poor man is to lay down his
lifo for his country.
The first evidence of this new
"pocket book patriotism" was the
announcement from Taioma that
the copper mining and ismlUbi
interests were prepared to furnish I
the government all the copper!
needed lor the war at a rate about
half the current market rape of
copper.
It is an open secret that Klbert
11. Gary of the IT S. Stenl corpora
tion has been asked by the eouncli
of national defense to do the same
thing oi'r steel products. A fa
vorable answer is expected.
at the very moment that newsboys
outside were crying the war head
linen, a messenger arrived with a
sjikill package. It was from Mrs.
Woodrow Wilson and contained a
brooch, an American eagle,* set
in flashing geniH, in the center.
Accompanying it, in Mrs. Wilson's
own handwriting, was the mes
sage:
"With renewed thanks for the
pleasure you gave uh last winter.
—Edith Boiling Wilson."
As she gazed upon the sparkling
token of American loyalty and
patriotism, Mme. Schumann-Heink
breathed a sigh.
"What can I say?" she pleaded,
brokenly. "What can any mother
say? Oh, I love America, it Is my
home; my country.
"But I love (icrmany, too. Oh,
Germany is beautiful. And the
German people lore America and
Americans.
"Oh, those people who make
war—all of them, all nationalities,
all klnda—l hate them."
NIGHT EDITIONMfe*
WEATHER PIWLCT
Tacoraa: Showers Eg^S
tonight and Sunday. C^*^[
Washington: Same. I
WAR MACHINES
OF U.S. RUNNING
AT FULL SPEED
(United Press Leased Wire.)
WASHINGTON, D. ('., April ".—The powerful war machine*
of the Halted States are running full speed this afternoon—<
pr«p*rin| to hurl ■■Itoftod MB and money against Germany.
I'oKrt'ss is whlppinK into shape, the rush war measure
now before the committees *o that there will be no delay la
their passage when the senate and house, nwct Monday.
A w;ir steering committee will lie created for the purpose
of pending mer^ency legislation to committees that can handle
them most expeditiously.
King (ieoi'Ke of England and King Victor Emmanuel of
Italy officially recognized America's entrance in the threat war
by telegrams of congratulations to the president.
Representative llulbert, New York, paved the way for
efficiently orKaniiEing the aerial aim of the war machine by
introducing a bill creating n department in aeronautics, giving
its secretary a portfolio in the president k cabinet.
MAILS TO CENTRAL POWERS STOPPED
.Malls to (ierniany were ordered flopped by Postmaster
fleneral linrleson, "for the duration Of the. war." Mhllr to
Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey likewise ceased, a« they
must jinss through the enemy's country.
Cttltcn military camps were Ordered discontinued and
will be replaced by training cageai tor Amerlcu's expedition
ary Force to Europe.
The navy <lepartment completed seizure of all commercial
■wireless plants for war puip<>-<- and bejtl tlie tremendous taiik
of dlsaantltßg thousands of private radio stations throughout
tlie country.
The president cabled a greeting to Russia announcing
that "tlie United State, arrays, ItMlf in opposition to the
greatest enemy and menace to democracy."
Secretary McAdoo took the first steps toward raising the
13,500,000,000 asked—the first war financing fund.
Suggestion waa made that the United States extend credit
of from one to five billion dollars to the allies.
STILL NO CHANGE IN AUSTRIAN SITUATION
Secretary of War Baker, tieneral C'rowder and Major
General Scott, chief of stall, conferred with the house military
committee on the administrations. Mil for raising men to fight
Germany.
Baker asked insertion of a provision in the staff bill for
conscription of technically trained imn to be used in the ciifrt-
Jiier and signal corps.
The Austrian situation, while intense, remained officially
in status quo late this nllernoon.
Official crop estimates hliow that winter wheat tliiß year
will be .'i(»,000,OOd huHhels legs than last year and 240,000,000
less than the your before.
The nnvy department wap officially notified that the Ger- Tl
man cruiser Cormorant had been blown up by her crew In tb*
harbor of Ciiam, with the loss of at least one German officer
and a ftamnn. One officer mid four men are "nilsslnK."
SHOOT TO KILL,
POLICE ORDERS
"WBUIK to kill!" MM the
onlei- >{lveii army uiihuK
jiiim |i<«ll<<'inrn in li .1
SHtmtliiy.
Any |ieiMin who is rom
inaiidcil to Imlt, and refuse*
to «ilie> the first order, uill
lie sliot down. Soldiers iind
|i<ilire were gtVW ord«-rs to
waste no tiiiM' in paiii-y
»ith any Mispiiioim person.
If the slightest resistance to
war order* is met, war tac
tics will lie employed.
AlthoiiKh no arrests of nlieiiß
Wtra made in Tacoma, it was de
-1 -hired that "CJ Oennans in the
•ity nro under constant surveil-
UN of the federal authorities.
Arrests may be made at any time.
Police department officials are'
co-operating closely with the
army heads, and lists of names of
persons who have been strong
partisans for fJerinany and who
have made derogatory statements
regarding America, have been
prepared. The list is said to in
clude several names that are
prominent in the lists of profes
flonal men here.
The police gave orders that no
person lie admitted to any dock
or wharf unless he can show that
he has business there. Guards
have been thrown about the en
tire waterfront.
On r«H|iiost of Ca|>t. Mr-
Clinton of the I', s. army,
Ihi iin 11, ii n< i I Saturday
|i;i'-i-ii an ruin j:cin-> ordU
nance providing that no ncr-
Mm niny pirn-haw fir«-;n him
or nininiinitioii without a po
llco pormit.
The orclinanre provides a jail
sentence for both the person
making the purchase and the one
gelling the arms.
Police ("apt. John Strickland
had a long conference with Capt.
McClinton Saturday regarding
the handling of Tacoma police
during war times. A large force
of city detectives Is assisting the
secret service men.
Soldier guards have already
been thrown about the Tacoma
nmeltor, the Dupont powder
plant, and the city reservoirs.
Several firemen In each city firo
station are being deputized as
pollw officers, to be used In
emergency work.
Officers investigated Friday
nipht the finding of h quantity
of tMt uiul dynamite caps In ■
vacant woodshed at 423 South II
street, hut found tliat It had been
ii'iioMi 11 by the owner, a sub*
lontrnrtor named Caskey, wh4
had used it in blasting stump*
near I'uyallup.
rr alk othe
«.!•<■<•(l ri(£s, lion's your liut
er ckk supply?
If VVilhelm wishes to please nC
he will send liin grand imperial
fleet out of the Kiel canal hit*
the open roadsteads just once.
A number of visitors to the
•Mm lately have told us they
<\|«.t the world to come to
an end In April i>r early in
Mn.v. If it stop* raininK lonic
enough fin- iin to i;ii our po
i.-iiipt ~ planted, put v* in th«
ll»t, tOO.
Sign in a Broadway department
store's infants' department: "Rub*
ber Baltics' I'anU." Does this ran
fer to bouncing boys? Tee-hee.
When bud the oaks
And the wild goose honks,
When tlio crocus croaks
And the jonquil Jonks,
Then the earth grows young,
For spring is sprung.
When April sobs
Till the tubers tube.
When the robins rob
And the bluebirds blube,
Then youth must sing,
Kor sprung is spring.
Since the reviilml/ tJM
Kushinn folk have had! ' V
jit the c/.ar's |«erw>nal tKyim. m
and •!■«■> find him autoa cost
him KiKio.fHio a year. H«
iniisi have kept two.
And kept them in a gmrag%